Photography by Andie Noon — Photography by *Andie Noon*

Ready to be swept away to a dreamy Spring afternoon, surrounded by lush, blooming flowers and a tonne of love?

Enter this gorgeous photoshoot, impeccably crafted by a group of Kapiti creatives! Setting out to create a spring-styled shoot, with the theme of ‘Vintage Garden Chic’, this talented team showcases four dresses by Wellington designers - and quite frankly, we’re in love! Stylist Charlotte from Handmaid gave us an overview of the shoot - so get inspired and fall in love with these Spring vibes!

Objective

Our aim was to have a stylish, romantic vintage garden wedding with dreamy elements, such as soft draping, vintage furniture that is imbued with nostalgia yet has a classic elegance. To do this, we focused on the following palette and elements:

Colours: soft and dusky pinks, sage green and ivory with pops of dusky blues and hints of burgundy.
Metallic: silver
Textures: floating fabrics, cut crystal, dappled light, native wood, floral and vintage fabrics
Aesthetic: Vintage chic
Setting: Lush gardens with blossoms

Inspiration for concept

When developing the concept from our initial meeting, I looked first at the Romantics poets, especially Wordsworth and Keats, who often used garden imagery in their poetry. While not a direct reference from any particular poem, I used their poetic language to pull together the feel of the shoot to guide our inspiration in the brief sent to the vendors: 'As Spring bursts forth, so we all rise from our slumber. Love meets in the garden'.

The poetry of the Romantics was inspired by movement, emotion and the interaction of humans in their environment and a love of nature (which was in contrast to the other artistic movements of the time that was ruled by logic and reason). While the shoot obviously is contemporary with coloured glass and a caravan bar etc, the notions the Romantic poets held close were reflected in the feel of our shoot and objective. We wanted the enduring charm that vintage elements can bring to a wedding but set outside in the beautiful gardens bursting with the symbolism of all Spring brings - of promise, renewal, love.

Areas for the shoot

We had the following areas in the shoot:

Accommodation styled rooms in Anam Cara:
- one for the brides
- one for the men
Various areas of the gardens
Arch dressed for a ceremony area
Dining table set up under a large pepper tree in the gardens with cake table
Vintage caravan bar and outdoor lounge area
Vintage picnic scene in the gardens in front of blossoms